The present invention relates generally to digital communication networks, and more specifically, to a method and system for transporting local and remote faults across different types of networks operating with different types of protocols.
Ethernet has developed into one of the most widely deployed network technologies. Data rates have increased from 10 Mbps to Gigabit speeds. The IEEE 802.3ae standard covers 10 Gigabit Ethernet and has brought Ethernet into another generation of applications. The Gigabit Ethernet protocol (as set forth in IEEE 802.3ae) includes the following sublayers: reconciliation sublayer (RS) and 10 Gbps Media Independent Interface (XGMII), XGMII Extender Sublayer and 10 Gbps Attachment Unit Interface (XAUI), PHY (physical), and Medium Dependent Interface (MDI). GMII provides two status signals: one indicates presence of the carrier, and the other indicates the absence of collision. The RS maps these signals to physical layer signaling (PLS) which is understood by the MAC (media access control) layer. The PHY sublayer includes the physical coding sublayer (PCS), an optional WAN interface, physical medium attachment (PMA) sublayer, and the physical medium dependent (PMD) sublayer. PCS is the GMII sublayer which provides a uniform interface to the RS for all physical media. The PCS sublayer generates carrier sense and collision detect indications.
Link fault signaling operates between the reconciliation sublayer in a local network element and the reconciliation sublayer in a remote network element. 10Base-R physical coding sublayer (PCS) is capable of detecting faults in a receive datapath that render a link unreliable for communication. These detected faults are then sent by a 10Base-R PCS receiver to the RS receiver. The RS transmitting signals are sent to the RS in the remote network element through the PCS in the transmit datapath with this fault indication.
The above description is a generic bi-directional fault communication mechanism described in 802.3ae. This method for transporting faults, however, cannot be directly used if faults are being transported across networks which carry protocols other than 10 GE between the local RS and the remote RS.
There is therefore, a need for a method for transporting local faults and remote faults across networks using different protocols.